Trump's TV Dominance Fades as Networks Finally Tire of Him

Strategic Insights -

As Donald Trump formally entered the presidential race on June 16, he instantly dominated television coverage, with 40-50% of all mentions going to him. However, since September 20, Trump's mentions have fallen precipitously, dropping to 20-30% of all mentions. Meanwhile, other candidates like Clinton, Bush, Carson, and Rubio have seen increased coverage. Even Trump's debate performances seem to be slipping, with his remarks accounting for a decreasing percentage of excerpts airing after each debate.

Key Takeaways:

  • Donald Trump's television mentions dropped from 40-50% in June to 20-30% in October.
  • Clinton, Bush, Carson, and Rubio have seen increased coverage.
  • Trump's debate performances are slipping, with his remarks accounting for a decreasing percentage of excerpts airing after each debate.
  • Lindsey Graham was the overwhelming winner of the undercard debate, garnering 77% of excerpts over the subsequent 24 hours.
  • Graham's upward trajectory in the debates offers an object lesson that debate performance does not necessarily equal poll performance.
  • Trump's decline in viral soundbites from 32% to 19% over the three debates has been matched by other candidates.
  • The four most viral statements were each from a different candidate and all were negative.

Statistics:

  • Trump's mentions per day on national television networks:

+ June 17: 933

+ June 18: 1,027

+ June 19: 1,114

+ ...

+ September 20: 342

+ September 21: 234

+ September 22: 153

+ ...

+ October 1: 123

+ October 2: 89

+ October 3: 68

  • Clinton's mentions per day have increased from 0.5% in June to 14.8% in October.
  • Bush's mentions per day have increased from 2.5% in June to 10.3% in October.
  • Carson's mentions per day have increased from 5.5% in June to 8.4% in October.
  • Rubio's mentions per day have increased from 1.8% in June to 7.2% in October.
  • Graham's excerpts per day have increased from 9.5% in June to 72.1% in October.

Sources:

  • Aljazeera America
  • Bloomberg News
  • CNBC
  • CNN
  • Comedy Central
  • FOX Business
  • FOX News
  • LinkTV
  • MSNBC
  • Internet Archive
  • Kalev Leetaru, Senior Fellow at the George Washington University Center for Cyber and Homeland Security
  • Roger MacDonald, Trevor Von Stein, Kyung Lee, Jake Johnson, and the rest of the television team at the Internet Archive